Happy Thanksgiving

So here it is, a mere two days away... Thanksgiving.  Among other things, it means that Christmas is a month away (less than that come Thursday) and right behind that is New Years.  

Yikes!  

Today was the last day of school (before the break) for the kids and with that came the "feast" at school.  They used to have a feast for the K-2 kids, but sometime after the new principal took over it was stopped.  After an inquisition (and some fighting to get it reinstated) this was the first year it was back.  So we spent the afternoon at the school watching the Thanksgiving performance which was followed by the feast... it appeared to me that all the kids were enjoying it.  

Then again it could be that lunch was almost two hours later than normal.

One funny line that came out of the day came when we were taking everyone home and Julie was sitting in the back with Rachael and Lyndsey. First off, I'd like to preface this by saying that Julie has a penchant for mixing up her sayings and the transposing of words, this also translates to (at times) everyday conversation.  

So as not to appear that I'm picking on Julie here, I have a penchant to misspell words... I am a poor speller... you have no idea.  Without spellcheck (and dictionary.com) you'd see just how woeful it is.  I also take liberties with grammar and punctuation in general, but that's my (for as much as I have one) style.  

Anyhow, we're driving home and I overhear the conversation coming from the back and it's Julie talking (asking) Rachael a question.  Every so often, our kids go through a phase where they lick their lips and consequently end up chapping them.  This might be one of those things that you just had to be there for, but just for the sake of wrapping this up... Julie's question to Rachael was this;  "Rachael... have you been lipping your licks again?"

Say what?

Gobble Gobble

  

Rolling down the highway

Well, after being assisted by an Indiana Trooper, they (Emmah and Julie's aunt and uncle) made their way off the highway and to a motel.

They made Macon, GA last night and as I sit and type they are en-route to Orlando. It's funny to talk to Emmah as they go, I can hear in her voice (well what I perceive to be) a certain "I miss you tone" in her voice... she sounded the same way when she was calling from camp earlier this year.

This just in... they have arrived in Orlando and I have been told (by Emmah) that the Magic Kingdom is open until 2am! She sounded downright giddy... perhaps it's was because she was with her cousin. Perhaps it was because she was talking to me... doubtful. Perhaps it was because she was finally there. I'd like to think that it was a combination of the three, but common sense tells me that I had nothing to do with her giddiness. So they are there and now the "real fun" begins.

The midnight ramblers

The perils of midnight ramblings are (perhaps) not so many, but perilous just the same. So it would seem is the case of Emmah and Julie's aunt and uncle this night... or morning pending perspective.

They were embarking on a Florida or bust trip. A trip to reunite/visit with Emmah's cousin who due to a job transfer recently moved down there (that would be her dad got transferred and not her, the cousin) for a three day Disney extravaganza. So, we got her all packed in their van and said our good-byes and stood in the cold alley sending them off as they left around 8pm Friday night... destination of Chattanooga as a stopping point. Which caused me to ponder for a moment... how many people driving from Chicago to Florida stop there as the half way point? Countless I imagine, I know I have.

Alas... Chattanooga was going to have to wait as the bust in "Florida or bust" was being felt... and by bust I don't mean there was a raid on their van. Ladies and gentleman, I give you New Albany, IN... just outside of Louisville. One of the four newly (proactively) purchased tires decided it didn't want to... um... roll anymore and went like my backside... flat. And at a very inconvenient time... while they were driving. The nerve! 2am is not exactly a time that comes to mind if someone were to ask, "So Jeff, if you could pick a time to get a flat, what would be your ideal time?" And in that same vein 22 degrees isn't the ideal t-t-t-temperature t-t-to be w-w-working out-s-s-side (and I sh-sh-sh-should know) and in the dark no less. So a call was put in to 911 to get some roadside assistance.

How do I know all this? We were calling every few hours or so to check in on them as they drove on through the night... as they did to/for us as we were embarking on our Make-A-Wish trip last year. Not that we can (at 3am) do anything about it, but we're going to wait up until they are (yawn... hopefully soon) safely tucked in somewhere before we tuck ourselves in.

The starting of a bizarre tradition?

Bizarre in the sense that because it is us, it's normal.

What's the potential tradition? It's a tradition that most of us have partaken in and that is carving pumpkins... you know for Halloween. As in before Halloween. So as to have them as display for decoration.

Due to the evaporative/sagging free time around here, and the increased costume production in conjunction with just trying to stay afloat financially (and emotionally), things get put on the back burner. Depending on what time of the year determines what gets procrastinated.

Last year Halloween approached and the pumpkins remained uncarved. They eventually succumbed to the knife on the day of.

This year?

A little different... we have six (whole and uncarved) pumpkins sitting on the floor mocking us. So we will carve them if for no other reason to show them (the pumpkins) that we haven't given up on the spirit.

Leave it to us to never learn. Every year after Julie pulls all-nighters (sometimes in succession) in an attempt to get costumes done on time, when THE day comes and goes... we laugh as she proclaims that next year will be different.

What's that they say about the definition of crazy/insane? Something like doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different outcome each time? I think that Pavlov himself would've thrown his hands up in disgust had he based his studies on us.

Perhaps we can carve Thanksgiving or Christmas scenes.